Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks will face each other on Friday evening in the NBA playoffs Game 3. The hosts look forward to capitalizing on the latest victory on the away court and taking the lead in this tie. The away side wants to bounce back and retain the home-court advantage.
Chicago managed to significantly improve and stun the Bucks on the road in their latest clash on Wednesday evening. The home side wants to pick up where it left off and celebrate a vital win in front of their fans. On the other hand, Milwaukee hasn’t been very confident in the post-season. Nevertheless, they will search for success and a chance to return a break in this series.
Chicago Bulls – Can they continue in the same fashion?
The Bulls were awful in the first match of the series, and few people thought they could challenge the Bucks in Game 2. However, they booked a 114-110 victory and got leveled in this tie. Thanks to an excellent display in the second quarter, the Bulls controlled the game and celebrated a vital win. They were close to a 50.0 field goal percentage (49.4) while hitting 48% of their attempts from the three-pointer area. Chicago also limited its turnovers to a reasonable 13, compared to Milwaukee’s 15.
DeMar DeRozan leads the Bulls’ offense in the playoffs with 29.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, five assists, a pair of steals, and a block per match. Nikola Vucevic has also been excellent with 24 pts, one steal, and a block while dominating the paint with 15 rebounds. Zach LaVine is close to a 20-point mark in the post-season (19.0), but no other player produces a double-digit number of points in the post-season. Regarding the selection issues, Lonzo Ball and Matt Thomas remain unavailable for Chicago in this series.
Expected Line-Up: Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic
with best odds
Milwaukee Bucks – Are they capable of celebrating on the road?
The Bucks didn’t shine in the series opener, but they still managed to book a confident 93-86 victory. However, they couldn’t do better in Game 2, which resulted in a 110-104 defeat. It was their second defeat in the last six games, while the tie moves to Chicago now. Milwaukee fell short despite a solid 46.3 field goal percentage and being competitive in the paint. However, their bench failed to produce enough points, scoring only eight pts in the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps his form on the regular-season level when he was among the most productive NBA players. The Greek international produces 30 points per game in the playoffs, followed by a team-high 17 rebounds, six assists, and a pair of blocks. Brook Lopez averages 21.5 pts per contest, while Jrue Holiday has 15 per game. Khris Middleton is the team’s best assistant with seven per match in the playoffs, while he also tops the steals charts with 1.5. However, his absence in this game will be a huge blow for the Bucks. Besides Middleton, George Hill will also be out of the contest.
Expected Line-Up: Jrue Holiday, Wesley Matthews, Grayson Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
Expert Pick #1 – Chicago Bulls +2.5 @-110
Although the Bucks are a better team on the paper, the Bulls showed a great fight in the previous match, and they are full of confidence. They can use that momentum to cover the nut and possibly win here. Therefore, I’ll back the home side ATS as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 222.5 @-110
Both games in this series stayed under the margin, and this one shouldn’t be much different. The Under cashed in five of their previous six head-to-head clashes, and I’m going to back that outcome in this game as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Milwaukee Bucks Under Under 112.5 @-120
The Bucks have produced an average of 101.5 pts in this tie, and I don’t see them scoring more than 112 points in this one. Khris Middleton’s absence could also impact Milwaukee’s productivity, and I’ll take this pick as the second alternative at slightly lower odds than the first two.
